St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-11-27

~ work." Fiji
''-.-- teen years
ago, one might say ten years ago. dec
Orative art in America was dismal
mingling of cardboard, wOrsted, crystal
| beads and Java canvas. COlOrS were
crude, designs were ugly and taste was
as nearly nil as could be well conceived
Enough has been said, perhaps, on the
| subject of green poodle dogs and purple
| roses, but certainly not enough to more
than do the subject justice. The articles
| that were endured and even displayed
| with pride in those days may possibly
be still in favor in the bowling wilder
ness we certainly wOt not of, writes
Fannie B. Merrill in the New York
| Star
OF the next era there are still lively
| signs. Between Oscar Wilde and Ken
| SingtOn stitch we soon began to suffer
again. 1t was new suffer to be sure, and
possibly preferable to the one before
it, but it was poignant just the
same. 1t began well enough in a sud
| den influx of Sad-cOlOred crewels, and
| of such modest weeds as daisies and
golden rod and asters. Before long,
however. we tired of so much sage
cry, in which delicate leaves gained the
semblance of asparagus tips and china
aSterS of double cabbage roses. Then
we sought relief in Oil paints, and every
thing, | am sure you will bear me wit
ness. from my grandfather'S clock to
little brothers old shoes, was decorated
with pOSieS and lilies. Later, followed
along the luster paints. Nor has the
memory of them faded yet, am almost
sorry to say. 1t certainly has not yet
faded from around the plush-covered
cologne bottles and arraSene embrOid-
cred trifies of that order. Nor yet again
from the diabOlical ''chair scarfS" that
superseded the weak and maudlin
tidy" of the era previous, nor the i'm
beetle patched-up silk bags made for
heaven knows not what purpose.
Good embroidery adjoining a useful
article, or even one with tastful pur-
pose, has not yet lost favor, nor will it
probably for some time to come, if ever
in our day.
has its valne whether it may be upon
pillow sham, pincushiOn or a petit
coat. but when it has both the attributes
of use and beauty then and then only
does piece of fancy work become joy
forever.
Cushions seem to be the filling of
long felt gap i'll every family, for their
popularity is as great as ever. Whether
it is the big, mOtherly cushion with
embroidered pine twigs over it. like the
one in the picture, or the jolly little
round fellow to hang over the
back of chair as a head rest,
they are everywhere to be found.
Good embroidery and a really Skillful
commingling of materials is by no
means a bad matter, yet there is little
pie, well made, unadorned cushion for
rRittler chair or couch. Pine twigs, to
lave the fact of their careless repeti-
ton out of the question, are good bits
of decoration for this purpose, while the
slumbrous poppy has only the fact
against it that so few people can copy
them well, and so many millions of
women one would say. have done them
i'll. Drawn work seems still to hold its
own. if not to gain in popularity,
and this is we'll indeed, for not
only is the work beautiful. but
it tends ever toward those gentle
womanly traits of fine needlewOrk and
love of the art In the sofa pillows it
can not be said that the drawn work,
often applied. reaches heroic limits, but
III
as above noted. Another fancy that
seems to be displacing the whilom
buster bag and the promiscuouS silk
reticule, made for no possible purpose
whatever, is the card bag. Sometimes
the bag is of chamois leather, with the
design and cards outlined in paint or
silk. In better taste and certainly more
durable form are the plush bags of the
same size and general appearance, lined
with satin to match them selves and
decorated only with three small cellu-
loid cards
WITH AN ACE ON EACH ONE.
Lamp shades are losing not one whit
of their popularity, as far as can be
seen. They are made in the main of
lace and a single shade of delicate col
bon sewed together and pointed off with
a full frill of lace round about are al
WAYS made, and they are as pretty as
possible. and give rise in the end to
vast number of variations. At the eX-
change yesterday was shade which
had actually eaten up in the cost of
material the last cent of young girl
whose last living relative died little
time ago and left her dependent upon
this sort of thing for her living.
-. 1t was made an honor, and was
certainly an exquisite piece of fancy
work The big frame was covered in
yellow silk as finely as the finest French
parasOl could be covered. Over this was
a deep flOunce of embroidered yellow
null, loOped up on one side by big
bow of MORE ribbon. Such beauty and
such faithful work ought soon to win
buyer. The calendar, on the other hand,
is not so clearly shown in its important
naiDfc II ic in Chnrt tsnprpptualD
calendar. A ragged-edge card. ten by
around the edge about quarter of an
inch. A pretty semi-cOnvenient design
is painted on it. with an appropriate
motto. Three double Sits are cut in the
card for the ribbon, which is in three
shades of the same color, to match the
painting. On one ribbon is painted the
days of the week. on the second the
months, and on the third the days of the
month. The ribbons are passed up and
over these Sits, and then by simply
pulling the ribbon the proper date APP
pears. The card is hung up by small
gilt cord.
This leaves but two trifles to explain
besides the corset and the baby shoe,
which busy souls with nothing better to
do maneuver into pin cushions. The
perfumery basket is simply one of the
many hundred little baskets of the day.
done up in new and rather fetching
shape. The round, nestlike little bust
ness is series of small bags, all of the
same size, shape and color, and each
with drawing string of its own. sewed
upon paStebOard round covered with
a very workmanlike wOrk-baSket. 1t is
n a n q UOnl6